Blogs from Brasov, Transilvania, Romania, Europe

On Wednesday, 6th September, we left the ship at Giurgiu. We had opted to do the Highlights of Bucharest tour. Only 2 other couples had made the same choice so we were in a small mini van with Loren our guide and Christian our driver. It took about two hours to reach Bucharest, driving through mainly rural landscapes.As we approached the city, the traffic became horrendous and Christian took some back streets to avoid the worst of it. Our first stop was in the leafy area of No. 1 district at the home of the former dictator, Ceacescu. This is preserved as an historical monument and is open to the public. We were taken through the rooms, originally occupied and furnished by the first family. Ceacescu was a peasant with only a 4th grade education. We ... read more

On a recent trip to Brasov (2019) to visit Bran Castle in Transylvania, Romania, I learned more about Count Dracula. You decide if it is myth or legend. I vote for legend, after visiting his castle and hearing the stories firsthand. "Most historians agree that the vampire as we know it today got its start in Europe sometime during the 17th and 18th centuries. According to scholars, the legendary "Dracula" novel by Bram Stoker was crafted after the real Romanian Prince Vlad Tepes, who lived during the 15th century in Transylvania. While Romania generally looks fondly on his legacy, he was known to be very cruel to those he conquered, even earning himself the nickname “url=https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.history.com%2Ftopics%2Ffolklore%2Fvampire-history&data=04%7C01%7C%7C7c093038ead746... read more

Bonjour à tous, Dans la journée sur la route, je me disais, que lorsque j'avais préparé (sommairement) ce voyage, je devais encore avoir dans l'esprit, kilomètres et temps de route par rapport à l'Amérique du nord. Aujourd'hui pour 280km, il m'a fallu une bonne journée de volant. 50kmh, est bonne moyenne. En 2014, j'ai eu fait plus de 3 fois cette distance sans problème et sans fatigue. De Budapest à Chinisau, j'avais prévu 2 jours, je vais en mettre 4. Et je pense que pour la suite du voyage, je serais dans les mêmes écarts de temps. Pas grave personne ne m'attends à la maison. Hier au soir, j'étais content, en arrivant de bonne heure à l'hôtel, j'avais fini ma page d'écriture plus tôt que d'habitude, que le ciel paraissait se dégagé, j'en ai profité pour ... read more

The place I was staying didn't have a kitchen, which meant I needed to find somewhere to have breakfast. In a big tourist town like Brasov, I thought that would be easy. I was proven very wrong. I had found a place online that looked quite good, but I had forgotten the name by the time I got in the right vicinity of the restaurant/cafe. There were quite a few places that looked shut, another cafe that was completely dead, normally that wouldn't bother me, but for some reason it did here. So, I ended up at Starbucks on the main square. I had a coffee and some kind of cheese, pesto, and I think tomato focaccia/ciabatta thing. It was quite nice. I enjoyed relaxing in the cafe as it wasn't too busy. Now, I was ... read more

Dag 12 – Rondreis Roemenië – zaterdag 8 september 2018 – Busuitstap Berenreservaat – Rasnov en Bran. Met 2 kleine busjes wegens keien bergwegen over smalle brugjes de bergen in naar een geleid bezoek in het Berenreservaat nabij Zanesti. Dit is geen zoo of een berenattractie, wel een soort ngo die beren uit gevangenschap van private attracties redt en een relatieve bewegingsvrijheid geeft in een afgesloten domein van 69 ha diep in de bergachtige bossen. Er zitten er nu een honderdtal opnieuw te wennen aan een relatieve vrijheid en verzekerd van een een onbekommerde oude dag. Mooi initiatief en volledig zelfbedruipend. Spijtig geen foto's met fotoapparaten, tenzij een forse taks. Met telefoon mocht het dan wel. Dan naar de Citadel van Rasnov (Rosenau), gebouwd vanaf de 13de-14de eeuw, als verdediging en toevluchtsoord bij opeenvolgende belegeringen van ... read more